


Angel

by sherdocnatural



Category: Original Work, Supernatural
Genre: Aromantic Grey-Asexual Character, Bisexual Character, Currently being rewritten - Freeform, Demons, Gen, Ghosts, Hunters, Inaccurate representations of pretty much everything, Original Character(s), POV Alternating, POV First Person, Tags May Change, Werewolves, Work In Progress, sorry - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-02-06
Updated: 2015-06-11
Packaged: 2018-03-10 19:53:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 15,438
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3301535
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sherdocnatural/pseuds/sherdocnatural
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>*** THIS IS WRITTEN WITH ORIGINAL CHARACTERS SET IN THE SUPERNATURAL 'VERSE. THE WINCHESTERS DO NOT MAKE AN APPEARANCE. ***</p><p>Abagail wakes up in a hospital she doesn't remember going to, with burns on her back that she doesn't remember getting. Two strangers kidnap/rescue her, dragging her into their world, and protecting her from an unnamed threat. Things are pretty smooth for a while, only minor bumps in the road. Then the shit hits the fan.</p><p>****I'M IN THE PROCESS OF REWRITING. PLEASE DON'T READ YET****</p><p>Rated T for language, monsters, and descriptions of murder, death, and corpses.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I'll warn you now, I'm a very slow writer. I'll do my best, but I promise nothing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> New and improved! :D Beta'd by my friend [Baeleigh](http://dirtytrenchcoatcas.tumblr.com/)  
> Thanks Bae!
> 
> Also, warning for needles. I don't know how descriptive is too descriptive for people with a thing about needles, but it has the potential to upset someone, I think. I don't want anyone getting hurt because I didn't think to warn for needles.
> 
> Enjoy <3.

Fire. There was fire everywhere. I was engulfed in flames, and no matter which way I looked, there was no escape. I whimpered in fear.

Then the pain set in.

My whimper rose into a howl of anguish, and I thrashed, limbs grasping at nothing as I fell through the air. The Holy Fire had burned eagerly through my coverts and alulas, and was already making quick work of my primaries and secondaries. The righteous flames slowed when they reached my flesh, as if savoring the taste and the agony it wrought. Deep, debilitating pain wracked my wings as they were eaten away to nothing.

 _Damn you, Aira_ , I roared with my final grips on Heaven, broadcasting my anger and my agony to the entirety of the Host. Despite the knowledge that she was in the middle of being punished, if our superiors hadn't already killed her, I roared again,  _damn you for eternity._

My flesh, blackened to ash, swirled away from me in the wind. The fire burned away my scapulars, reveling in the torture it inflicted upon my tender flesh. I screamed as the flames bit into my back, tasting the meat one last time before they dissipated, having exhausted their food source.

I crashed into the Earth.

 

 

 When I opened my eyes, all I saw was white. It took me a second to recognize the fact that I was staring at an extremely bright light. I threw a hand over my eyes, closing them belatedly. My brain felt sluggish and wrong. I tried to push through it.

After another second, I took my hand away from my face, keeping my eyes closed. When I finally opened them, the light wasn't nearly as bad.

 _Okay_.

I started to sit up, but was forced to stop as pain bloomed throughout my body. I gasped in shock, falling back down as my back protested strongly against everything.

 _Crap_.

 _Okay_.

_This is fine. I can handle this._

_Crap_.

_No, no, I'm fine._

I laid there for a minute, incredibly unwilling to move, but not very willing to stay still.

_Okay, well. Since I'm not making myself move anytime soon..._

I looked around myself, taking in my surroundings. White walls, white ceiling, and white linoleum floor. Grey plastic chair in front of the window that's to my right. The window is hung with bright blue curtains, as if whoever put them there was trying to bring a bit of color and interest to the room.

I was in a white-sheeted bed, and my blankets consisted of a thin white top-sheet, and a thicker multicolored quilt. I realized I was shivering, and tucked the quilt a little tighter around myself.

 _I must be in a hospital_ , I thought to myself. _And I guess I know why._

I hadn't seen what was wrong with my back, but, going off of how much it hurt, it must be bad.

I went to brush my hair out of my face, but stopped when I felt a sickening tug on my left forearm. I wrinkled my nose when I saw it was an IV.

 _Unnecessary_ , I thought as I gripped it, steeling myself to pull it out.

At that moment, a man walked in. He walked a little faster when he realized what I was set to do.

"No, don't do that to yourself, miss." I noticed his light Indian accent as he took my hand off of the needle. "You'd  _really_  regret that."

I stared at him, unresponsive.

He was short. Probably 5' 2". Thick, black hair. Warm, brown eyes. His skin was dark.

When he was sure I wasn't going to grab the needle again, he picked up the clipboard that was attached to the foot of my bed.

"I'm Dr. Sharma. How're you feeling today?"

I shrugged, not in the mood for conversation.

He skimmed the clipboard.

"Well, you look fine. Your vitals are normal. And you're awake today, so that's a big plus."

That caught my interest.

"What do you mean? How long have I been here?" I sounded so hoarse.

He turned to face me at the sound of my voice, "Ah!" he smiled slightly, "And you can speak. We  _are_  having a good day."

I cleared my throat, cringing at the harsh sound.

"How long have I been here?" I asked again, my voice stronger.

"Three days,” he said bluntly.

I blinked.

" _What?_ " I was sure I'd heard him wrong.

"You've been here for three days." he reiterated, a little more gently, "You were starting to worry us."

" _Three days?_ " I repeated in shock, "I was asleep for three days. What happened to me?"

"Well," Dr. Sharma put down the clipboard and sat in the grey chair by the window, "I was hoping you could tell me. A Mrs. Garrison found you, and brought you to the hospital, but all she told us was she found you in the middle of a burnt field. You were unconscious when you came in. Soot-stained, and unclothed except for the coat Mrs. Garrison had used to cover you. We ran test after test, but nothing came up as irregular. You were perfectly healthy."

I blinked silently, absorbing what he just told me. I moved my hands to my lap, and gasped lightly as my injuries re-announced themselves.

"Apart from two burns on your shoulder blades." Dr. Sharma added.

I grunted my acknowledgement, but didn't say anything.

He pretended to busy himself with the clipboard, giving me a chance to take a breath.

Three days.

 _Three_.  _Days_.

I was unconscious for three  _days_.

I suddenly felt a little dizzy, and laid back down, hissing slightly at the pressure on my burns.

"Are you okay?" Dr. Sharma asked, concerned.

"Yes," I nodded absently. There was another moment of silence before I thought to ask, "Where am I?"

"Oh, I'm sorry." he said apologetically, "I forgot to tell you. You're in Via Christi Hospital in Wichita."

I stared blankly at him.

"Wichita, Kansas." he clarified.

I looked down at my hands as I twisted them in my lap, thinking.

 _Wichita... that sounds vaguely familiar. I don't think I live in Wichita, or even in Kansas, but maybe I have family here. Maybe that's why it sounds familiar_.

"Can you tell me your name, miss?" he asked gently.

I looked at him, my face blank for a split second before I processed what he asked. I opened my mouth to answer, but I choked on the words as my stomach- no, deeper than that- my  _center_  clenched in on itself. I can't think of how to explain what it felt like, other than... dark. Dark, and angry, and  _evil_. Shifting, twisting, and oozing though the air.

Something was wrong.

Something was  _very_  wrong.

"Miss," he suddenly sounded like he was trying really hard to stay polite, "I need to know your name."

" _Shh_." I whispered sharply, glancing around the room.

" _No_ , I need your name." he said flatly, the barest trace of civility left in his voice.

 _Well that didn't take long_ , I thought before ignoring him, and looking around the room. Nothing stood out as wrong, not that I could see, but the feeling I had was too strong. It couldn't be nothing and, whatever it was, it had to be close by.

Dr. Sharma grabbed my arm, right below the needle, making me gasp in pain and then terror as I saw his face.

It was horrible. Skeletal, and rotting. Six empty eye-sockets were set deep in his skull. Two small horns grew up from just above his ears, curling and twisting back behind his head. His mouth was more like a bloody gash, filled with hundreds of small, needle-like teeth.

" _What_.  _Is_.  _Your_.  _Name_." he growled through his teeth _._

I couldn't think. Between the fear, and the pain, and the adrenaline punching through my veins, and the awful feeling throbbing at my center, making my stomach pulse with the need to vomit, my mind just shut down.

" _Your_.  ** _NAME_**." he snarled, gripping the IV and twisting it cruelly.

"ABAGAIL!" I screamed, as fire ripped through my arm.

His face twisted into something that was probably satisfaction as his gash of a mouth twisted up at one corner. He grabbed me by the shoulders and roughly pulled me off the bed, carelessly tearing out my IV in the process. He ignored my petrified sniveling and gripped my upper arm, forcing me to stand even as my legs gave out.

At that moment, the door burst open, and two women stormed in, a brunette with a pistol, and a blonde wielding a knife.

" _BACK_   _AWAY_   _FROM_   _THE GIRL_." the brunette commanded.

Dr. Sharma turned and snarled at them.

"You asked for it, bitch." the blonde said, sounding vaguely smug as she threw her knife. It stuck him cleanly in the stomach.

He screamed as orange light glowed around the wound, and let go of me to clutch at the knife, bringing us both to the floor.

Pained sobs wracked my body as I fell on top of him, and I fought to keep the bile from rising in my throat. I lost, violently, just barely managing to hit the floor rather than him and, consequentially, myself. My stomach cramped with the effort of ejecting nothing, and I dropped backwards and off of him, exhausted. My back stung horribly, and I closed my eyes, fighting back tears that were already streaming.

I heard footsteps and a screeching sound, and I flinched as drops of something wet flicked all over my face. I whined pathetically, wiping my good hand across my face, but not bothering to open my eyes.

Warm fingers caught my injured arm and held me still. Someone  _tsked_ , wincing audibly as they examined my mangled arm.

I heard a muffled thump, a stomach-turning squelch, and a noise of disgust.

"Definitely dead, Ree,” one of them said.

"That's great." the one holding my arm (Ree) said, distractedly, "Now help me, she needs bandages."

"What?" the other woman asked, disbelievingly.

"Wha- Liz, have you not seen her bloody arm?" (Bloody arm? I cracked my eyes open, and immediately closed them, fighting the urge vomit again at the sight of my mutilated flesh.) "She needs bandages," Ree snapped.

"We don't have time." the other woman (Liz) snapped back, "With all the screaming she was doing, I can’t believe no one's come in yet. You can patch her up in the car."

Ree sighed, discontentedly, but carefully tucked my arm against my stomach.

"Can you stand?" she asked me.

I groaned, dreading movement of any kind, but giving it a try anyway. I opened my eyes and carefully moved onto my good hand and my knees, cradling my wounded arm to my chest, letting out tiny gasps of pain when I used... any muscle. It didn't even matter which one, they all hurt.

I slowly, determinedly, stood up.

The room immediately swam as every part of my body screamed in protest, and I fell against Ree.

"O- _kay_. Guess not." she steadied me, " _C'mon_ , give me a hand." she called to Liz.

"Well, what am  _I_  supposed to do?"

" _Well_ , if you won't help  _carry_  her, go find a wheelchair!"

"All right, don't get your panties in a twist." And Liz left.

I realized the only reason I was upright was because Ree was holding me, so I tried to support myself. I couldn't stand on my own, but I could at least get my legs underneath myself so she wasn't bearing my full weight.

I studied her, briefly. She was quite pretty. Long, brown hair, pulled back in a braid. Slightly squinty blue eyes. Tanned skin. Naturally tanned, a light brown, not bronzed from a tanning salon. She wore a light blue t shirt, ripped jeans, and black sneakers.

I heard the sound of wheels in the hallway.

"I think that's Liz." I said, looking towards the door.

"What?"

A second later, Liz pushed a wheelchair into the room.

I took a second to study her as well. Liz was pretty in a different way. Where Ree looked soft and friendly, Liz looked coarser. Wilder. Light blonde hair, cut in a short pixie cut. Wide green eyes. Freckled skin. She wore a red plaid shirt, dark jeans, and dark brown work boots.

"It's fine that I stole this from some old dude, yeah?" she stated more than asked as she maneuvered it by me.

Ree gently set me in the chair, and I grabbed the quilt off of my bed before Liz rolled me away.

"I'm not even going to acknowledge that you said anything." Ree snipped as we turned a corner, just as hurried footsteps started echoing down the hall behind us.

" _Shiiit_." Liz chuckled under her breath, "We're in trouble now."

She kept us away from populated areas of the hospital, careful to choose empty corridors and vacant stairwells (yes, they took me down the stairs in my wheelchair. I almost threw up again in terror) to run through.

As Liz wheeled me down yet another empty hallway, my poor brain finally caught up and realized I didn't know who these people were. They could be kidnappers, and I just went along with them.

"Who  _are_  you?" I asked, breaking the silence.

"We-" Ree began, but Liz cut her off.

"Oh, no no no no." she said, "Introductions and back story in the car."

"But I don't know you." I protested, twisting in my wheelchair to look at them, which was a bad idea, my back burned sickeningly. "You could be _kidnapping_  me for all I know."

"We're not kidnapping you." Liz said dryly, "If we were, you'd be a hell of a lot less comfortable."

"So I'm just supposed to trust you?" I snapped.

"What's your name again?"

"Abagail." Not that they asked a first time.

"Well, Abagail, you're right." Liz said, "You have no reason to trust us. But you're gonna have to anyway. There are d-"

" ** _STOP THEM!_** " an angry voice echoed through the halls, followed by a chorus of shoes slapping on the linoleum.

"Fuck." Liz said, looking over her shoulder. She started running, slowing down just enough for Ree to pull ahead and open the glass door for her, and then sprinting across the parking lot. I clutched an armrest of my wheelchair with my good hand, desperately trying to stay seated and not be sick.

She slowed to a stop by an old black car, abandoning me so she could start it.

Ree ran past me, opened the passenger door and climbed halfway in. It took me a moment to realize she was working the seat forward.

The seat finally gave way, and Ree jumped out, hurrying to help me into the back seat.

Once I was finally settled, Ree folded up the wheelchair and tossed it in the trunk.

I managed to buckle up and tuck the quilt around my waist and legs. I was still too cold.

Ree shoved her seat back into position and flopped down in it, slamming the car door behind her.

"Floor it." she ordered, buckling in as the parking lot flooded with shouting orderlies. Or maybe it had already flooded. I wasn't sure.

Either way, the wheels screamed as Liz drove us away from the hospital, and down the road, weaving in and out of traffic like a maniac.

I could feel my face turning green from the constant swerving and random pressure on my various aches and pains. I dry heaved, my stomach desperately trying to rid itself of nothing. A particularly hard turn had me crashing backwards into the seat, immediately screaming as my burns stung with hell-like fury.

"Liz!" Ree yelled, taking notice of my condition, "Slow down! We aren't being tailed!"

"Shut UP!" Liz yelled back, but she caught a glimpse of my face in the rear-view mirror, and I saw a flash of repentance. She eased up on the gas pedal, and took the next turn considerably slower than any of the others.

I blinked in gratitude, but she didn't see it, and I was in no position to express anything verbally. I took a deep breath and fixed my eyes on the horizon, exhaling steadily. My head was throbbing in time with my heart, and my arm and back ached sharply. Angrily. I allowed myself a silent whine of pain.

What an exhausting first hour of consciousness.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here you go. It took me long enough to get this up, didn't it? Well, you can't say I didn't warn you. Enjoy, my lovelies!

The first thirty minutes of the drive were a little nerve-wracking for me.

Liz was a good driver, no doubt about it, but as we drove out of town and started passing fewer and fewer cars, I kept expecting her to speed up again. She never did, too intent on her hushed conversation with Ree. They somehow managed to pitch their voices just low enough so I couldn't hear them, despite me being not even two feet away.

I gave up trying to eavesdrop, and looked out the window. At this point in our journey the only thing to be seen was rolling hills, fields of wheat, and the occasional cow. I was almost more bored looking at the scenery than I was otherwise.

_Alright. That's it._

"My name is Abagail," I introduced myself, loudly interrupting their discussion, "I was found unconscious in the middle of a burnt down field, completely unharmed, except for two burns on my back. I don't know how I got there, I don't know where I was before then, and I don't know what I'm doing next."

There was a brief pause before Ree seemed to make a decision. She turned in her seat so she could face me.

"I'm Ree Marlowe," she began, "And that's my sister, Liz. A... friend of ours told us about you, and we're here for your protection."

"My protection?"

"A lot of bastards are interested in getting a piece of you, sweetheart." Liz said, smirking at me in the rear-view mirror.

I shuddered slightly.

Apparently it showed, because Ree scolded her sister, "Liz! Don't scare her."

"I'm just tellin' the truth!" she defended, a little sulkily, but she shot me an apologetic grin.

My answering one was a little shaky, but she seemed to take it as acceptance, saying, "See! She's fine."

Ree sighed, shaking her head, and turned back to me.

"How's that arm doing?" she asked kindly.

I looked down at my newly bandaged limb, the wrappings still pristine and white.

"Good, I think." I said, "I haven't bled through yet."

"Does it hurt?"

"Well, I mean, it feels like some asshole got crafty with a needle _inside my arm,_ " Liz snorted at my words, "But other than that it feels alright."

"Damn, Ree." Liz chuckled, eying me appreciatively in the rear-view, "I like this one."

I turned slightly pink under her gaze, keeping my eyes on Ree.

"I'd give you meds for the pain," Ree said apologetically, ignoring her sister, "but they're in the trunk. Let me know if it starts hurting too much, and we'll pull over so I can get them."

"Okay." I nodded.

_Speaking of..._

"What was wrong with that guy?" I asked quietly.

"Well," Liz said, "He was actually one of the bastards, believe it or not."

"I believe it." I said dryly, "But... what happened to his face?"

"His face?" Ree asked.

"His- his face!" I bit out, gesturing frustratedly at my own face, "He looked normal and then he... really, _really_ didn't."

_Nice sentence._

_Shut up._

"Care to elaborate?" Liz prodded.

 "I- he-" I grasped helplessly for the words, "His face was... it _looked_ like it was rotting. And I saw- I thought I saw horns."

They exchanged looks.

"There are creatures... in this world." Ree said after a long pause, speaking slowly and carefully, "Monsters. Things you never want to see."

"Like what?" I asked, a little reluctantly. I wasn't sure I wanted to know everything that happened in the dark.

"Vampires." Liz answered, "Werewolves. Uhh, djinns, sirens, ghosts. We ran into a couple leviathan a few years back. Um, banshees, wendigos, shapeshifters, reapers-"

"We don't kill the reapers though." Ree corrected.

"True, we don't." Liz agreed, "Uh, what else is there?"

"I think that's probably enough for now." Ree waved her down, having noticed the look on my face, "Abagail, are you okay?"

_No. No I'm not okay._

"Yeah." I said tersely, "I'm fine. So what was he?"

"Demon." Liz spat.

I felt sick.

_Oh god no._

"Liz, stop the car!"

And then gravel was digging into my hands and knees, and I felt an uncomfortable breeze through the back of my hospital gown as I dry heaved into a ditch. Ree was tying my hair back while Liz sat in the car, trying not to join me. I heaved again, coughing up spit and some bile and not much else.

_Ugh._

I heard Ree say something, but I didn't pay attention until she shoved a water bottle and some crackers into my face. I took them with shaky hands.

"I can't believe I didn't think to feed you." she said apologetically as I opened the bottle, "You haven't eaten in three days or more, and then I toss you in the back seat when _Liz_ is driving?"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Liz yelled, indignant.

Ree just shook her head.

I sipped at the water, wincing as it traveled down my raw throat. I took a bigger sip anyway.

"This is stupid." I grumbled, hesitantly nibbling at a cracker. It was stale.

"What's stupid?"

"It's stupid that I'm so delicate I puke my guts out at the mention of a demon." I griped, "It's stupid that I have two great big burns on my back. It's stupid that my arm is torn to shreds. It's stupid I'm in so much pain and-"

"You should've said something." Ree scolded me, disappearing for a second and and then shoving something in my hand. A bottle of pain meds. "I would've given you the medicine ages ago if I knew it was affecting you this much."

I didn't reply, pretending to be absorbed in the process of taking my pills.

Ree made me choke down half a dozen crackers, and drink three quarters of my water before she let me stand up again. I still didn't feel good, but at least I didn't feel as bad.

"We'll get you all fixed up and fed as soon as we get to a motel." Ree promised as she helped me back into the car.

I made a face that was supposed to be a smile, but probably came out more like a grimace.

 

"Why me?" I asked Ree.

It was a few hours later, and Liz had got us a room in the Jade Motel; a dinky little building that was practically foreclosed, but who's owners were squeezing every last drop of business out of, even if it meant they were losing money.

Ree had bandaged me up _properly_ as soon as she had her medicine bag, and she'd forced me to take more pain pills, even though I told her it didn't hurt _that_ badly. She had then insisted on washing my hair for me because she noticed some sick in it, and she found some clothes for me to wear. That, I appreciated. I felt much warmer in a black long-sleeved shirt and jeans than I did in that paper gown.

Liz was out getting some form of supper.

"Hmm?" Ree looked up from the book she was reading, "What?"

"Why me?" I repeated, "Why did that demon come for me? Why are there people- _things_ \- out there that want me? What did I _do_?"

She dogeared the page she was reading and closed the book, setting it aside. She watched her hands clasp and unclasp in her lap, thinking.

"Well," she finally said, "Black-eyed demons, like the one that came after you, are usually underlings. They tend to be lowest in the hierarchy, which means they do a lot of other demons' dirty work."

She looked up, checking to see if I followed. I nodded in encouragement.

"He was most likely taking you to his boss. After all, what better way to get promoted than to take-" she stopped, thought for a second, and continued with, "Did we tell you angels are real?"

I shook my head.

"Well, they are. A couple years back, they were all over Earth. Something happened, someone messed up, and every angel in existence fell."

Something flickered just beyond the scope of my memory, but it swirled away before I could look too hard.

"We never figured out what went wrong, but I heard the _Winchesters_ were involved, so I guess that explains a bit." she rolled her eyes, "Seems like everything that goes wrong these days can be traced back to them. But anyways." she looked at me, serious again, "When the angels were on the ground, they split into factions. There were four leaders, that we heard of. Bartholomew, Castiel, uhh Malachi I think was his name? And... Abagael."

I froze.

"Rumor had it, Abagael was going to win." she picked at the bedspread, "Her army was the biggest, her soldiers were the strongest, and her allies were the most loyal."

"What... what happened?"

Ree shrugged.

"I don't know. Someone fixed whatever went wrong, and the angels all went back to Heaven."

"So what you're telling me is..." I swallowed, "I... I used to be an angel?"

She looked up at me, pressing her lips together. She nodded.

"A really powerful one." she said quietly, "That's why they want you."

My brain was stuck. I couldn't... couldn't process beyond ' _I used to be an angel_ '.

"They know you'll make them more powerful. They know you have valuable information tucked away in your brain. And, if nothing else, you'll be fun to torture."

_Angel-angel-powerful-information-torture-angel-information-powerful-angel-torture._

**_STOP!_ **

I shut my eyes and shook my head, swallowing back my protests. I knew she wasn't lying to me.

"What happened to me?" I asked, even though I knew she couldn't possibly have the answer.

"I don't know." she said apologetically, "No one does. You just dropped out of the sky one day. Conroy called us-"

"Is he the friend?" I interrupted.

"What?" Ree blinked, "No. Conroy called us, and told us Kendra wouldn't take a break from what she was tracking, but she wanted us over there as soon as possible. Kendra's the friend." she added.

"Oh." I nodded, feeling dumb for not waiting two seconds.

"She told us about the meteor, and the field, and the Jane Doe in the hospital, and what she suspected you were, and then she told us to hightail it over there."

"You made it just in time." I said softly, "Any later and..." I trailed off, biting my lip.

_I don't want to think about that._

"Yeah." Ree was quiet for a moment, then she cleared her throat and said, "Anyway, that's what we know. And now _you_ know so... no secrets."

"No secrets?" I repeated, "Ree, I still don't really know who you are."

"Oh." she furrowed her brow, "Well, what do you want to know?"

The thousands of questions I'd wanted to ask, vanished immediately. I blinked.

"Uhh..." I stuttered intelligently.

The corner of her lip quivered, like she was trying not to smile.

"I had a million questions, I swear." I said, frustrated, also trying not to smile.

She laughed at that.

"Tell you what," she grinned at me, "When you think of something, anything at all, you ask it. I promise I'll answer truthfully."

I nodded, hugging a pillow to my middle, still a little embarrassed.

 

Not too long after that, Liz came back with supper.

"Chinese alright?" she asked as she came in the door, "It better be, 'cause I already bought it."

Ree didn't even look up from her book, just held out a waiting hand. Liz tossed a white box at her anyway, catching her in the side of the face.

"Liz!" Ree yelled, clutching her cheek with one hand, and her Chinese box with the other.

"What?" Liz yelled back, mocking her sister as she handed me an identical white box.

They continued bickering as I opened it. The scent of warm noodles and vegetables was oddly soothing. I tipped my head back and carefully shook some into my mouth.

"Mmm!" I moaned in surprise, flavor splashing over my tongue as I chewed, "This is good!"

Liz looked over, annoyance still on her face, but her expression cleared and she chuckled when she saw me.

"You got a little..." she gestured to either side of her grinning mouth as she handed me a napkin.

I took it and wiped at the corners of my mouth, giving her a small smile she didn't see as she turned back to her sister.

"So, George has a case for us, down in Texas." she said, using a pair of sticks to stuff the contents of her box in her mouth.

I found another pair of sticks in the paper bag and, after observing the way Ree and Liz handled theirs, fumbled with them while the sisters chatted about the 'case'.

"He say what it is?" Ree asked, swallowing.

"He thinks it's a werewolf," Liz said through her mouthful of chicken, "Actually, he said a pack of 'em."

"How many?"

"Roughly eight, if last month's body count means anything."

"Whoa. Okay then. Do we have enough bullets for that many?"

"I'm pretty sure. We'll have to recount them though, to be safe."

"I'll count them when I finish this."

After much struggle, I abandoned the little sticks, deciding that eating straight out of the box would actually be easier.

 _Difficult, unnecessary, contrary things_ , I thought in irritation, tipping my head back and shaking some more noodles into my mouth.

"Wait-" I choked on the mouthful as I sat up straight, my brain catching up of a sudden, "Did you say we're _hunting_ a _werewolf_?"

"Not _we_ ," Liz said, using her sticks to gesture between me and them, "Us." she gestured to herself and Ree.

" _You'll_ be safe in a motel room." Ree said, in a way that was probably supposed to be comforting.

It wasn't.

"But you're _hunting_ it?"

"Well, yeah." Liz said, picking up another piece of chicken and tossing it in her mouth, "Thought Ree gave you the rundown."

"She didn't mention this."

Liz shot a glare at her sheepish sister, and explained.

"There's this group- more like a subculture, really- of people whose job is killing monsters, and they're called hunters. Ree and I, we get a call, or we see something suspicious in the news, and we drive to wherever and gank the thing that's killing people." she grinned, "Simple as that."

"For example," Ree jumped in, "The case we're taking? Another hunter we know, George, called Liz to tell her about the full moon murders in Texas. He gave us the vic info, the location, his suspicions, and now we're gonna go to Texas, and take care of the problem."

I slowly chewed my vegetables, processing. I swallowed.

"So you're exterminators."

Liz laughed, surprised, and Ree followed suit.

"Guess you could put it that way." Liz said, still chuckling as she dug though her Chinese box, "Exterminators. Christ."

"But what you're telling me," I said, more seriously, "is you two run around, throwing yourselves at monsters, so other people don't die."

"Pretty much." Ree agreed, tossing her box and sticks in a trash can.

" _Why_?"

"Well," Liz shrugged, also throwing away her box and sticks, "Someone has to."

 

I kicked at the blankets, trying to disentangle my legs from them, but only making it worse. I growled, frustrated.

Four hours ago, Liz had tossed me a soft shirt and pants, and told me to go to sleep.

"You better get in all the sleep you can," she had warned, a wicked gleam in her eye, "Unless you want to risk sleeping in the car. Can't promise you'll come out of that unscathed."

It was two in the morning now. My covers were rebellious, I was too hot, the sheets were scratchy, and the pain medicine had worn off a long time ago. I whined in pain when I moved wrong, putting pressure on my back and making it sting.

I could always ask for more medicine, but I didn't want to bother Ree. She had done enough for me by insisting on taking the cot, even though she was far too long for it. She had only dropped off an hour ago, and I was loathe to disturb her after she'd had so much trouble falling asleep the first time.

And, judging by the intensity of her snoring, I couldn't wake Liz if I tried.

I rolled over again, struggling to find a position that didn't affect my arm or back. It was exceedingly difficult.

Roughly an hour later, I gave up on comfort. I closed my eyes, ignored the dull throbbing in my arm, and fell into an uneasy sleep.

 

_Flames and fire surrounded me, the pressure of unbearable heat making it hard to breathe. I was flying. No. Falling. Falling through the sky, flailing and kicking, grasping blindly though the air for something- anything- to break my fall, and shield me from the flames. I tried to scream, but the wind and the heat reduced it to a whimper that even I almost couldn't hear. Tears ran up my face and I screamed again as my wings spasmed, tortured by the fire that ate them alive. My entire being was wracked with agony, and I sobbed as I fell through the clouds._

 

"Wake up, c'mon. We gotta-"

I bolted awake, chest heaving, cheeks wet, startling the other person into falling off the bed.

"Fuck!" they yelled as they hit the floor. Ah, it was Liz. "What the fuck?!"

"Sorry." I said, taking deep breaths to calm my heart, "I- Nightmare."

"Jesus fuck." she said, a little awkward as she stood up, "Must've been some nightmare."

I nodded in agreement.

She watched me breathe for a moment, then she hesitantly asked, "Do you... wanna talk? About it?"

_Do I?_

_No._

"Uh, no." I said, a little more fervently than I meant, "I'm... It doesn't matter."

"Okay." Liz said, sounding more than a little relieved, "Well, if you're good, then you need to get up and dressed. We're rolling in twenty."

"Twenty?" I asked as she picked up a bag I hadn't noticed and carried it to the door, "Twenty what?"

"Minutes!" she called from the hallway, "Your clothes are laying on the other bed. If you don't like 'em, you can blame Ree. She picked 'em out for you."

"Hey, where _is_ Ree?" I called back, suddenly realizing she wasn't around, but Liz had already shut the door.

_Well fine then._

I threw the covers off and stood up, stretching as well as I could- which wasn't very well at all.

My back throbbed as I stepped over to the other bed, and I ignored the ache in my arm when I picked up a pair of socks.

Ree had picked out a blue plaid button-down, a white camisole, and a pair of ripped jeans for me to wear. Whether the rips were accidental or not, I wasn't sure, but they fit well enough, after I rolled up the hems. Everything was a little too big on me, even the socks, but that wasn't a surprise. Liz was at least three inches taller than me, and Ree was probably three inches taller than her.

The door opened as I finished buttoning up the shirt, and I turned to see Ree walk in, Liz close behind.

"... got everything." Ree was saying, "I wanna be sure."

"Ree, I checked every crook and nanny, there's nothing left." Liz said, "It's all in the trunk."

"That's what you said when we left that amulet in Canton."

"Oh god, let it _go_ already."

"I'll let it go when we find something that wards off Lamashtu just as well as the amulet did. Double check the room."

" _Fine_."

Ree stood in the middle of the room, scanning her surroundings, scouring every inch with her eyes.

Her face, intense with concentration, smoothed when she met my gaze.

"Ready to go?" she asked brightly.

I gave a half-shrug, and nodded.

"Great." she glanced around the room again and back at me, "I'll walk you to the car in a minute. We need to be sure we're not leaving anything behind."

"We aren't." Liz confirmed, walking out of the bathroom, a mildly exasperated look on her face, "Like I said, everything's in the trunk."

"Great." she repeated, gently grabbing my good arm and pulling me out of the motel room, "Alright, let's get going."

Liz followed a second later, looking annoyed as she passed us in the parking lot. She didn't offer to help when Ree was having problems moving the seat, though she glanced at her like she half wanted to. Ree finally managed on her own, and I climbed into the back seat, fumbling with the seat belt for a moment before getting it to click shut. Liz started the car as Ree shoved her seat back into place and sat down, shutting the car door behind her, and buckling up.

Liz threw the car into reverse, and drove us away from the Jade Motel.


	3. Currently Re-writing

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *BEING REWRITTEN*  
> DON'T READ THIS IT'S TRASH

"It's a long way to the top if you wanna rock n' roll!" Liz sang, loud and slightly off-key.

I stared out the window, working to keep a grimace off my face. Between Liz's singing and the combination of electric guitars and bagpipes blaring from the speakers, it all sounded more like noise than music to me. But Liz looked like she was enjoying herself, so I did my best to not draw attention to my discomfort.

Ree didn't seem very comfortable either, but she also kept it to herself, discreetly covering her ears with her hands, and looking at the sky.

I turned my attention back to the scenery, what little there was of it. We were driving through rural Oklahoma, so it was all fields. And, being January, they were barren and brown. Not very impressive, unless you were amazed by square footage.

When I asked an hour ago, Ree told me we were going to a town a few miles west of Houston. Wallis, she said. She also said it was going to be another five hours until we got there, minimum.

The bagpipes faded out, there was a brief moment of silence, and then the next song started.

"So who're we meeting down there?" Ree blurted before Liz could start singing again.

"W- Meeting? What?" Liz asked, turning the music down, "We don't team up. We don't collaborate. We get a case, we tackle it, we win, end of story. Why would this time be any different?"

Ree cleared her throat and not-so-subtly pointed at me.

"What, you want me to hire a babysitter? How much trouble can she find sitting in a motel room?"

"That's not what I'm worried about." Ree hissed, "What about the trouble that can find her?"

"So we ward the room."

"That doesn't always work, you know that. _You_ , of all people, know that."

"Then what do you want from me?"

" _I'd_ like a little inclusion." I interrupted, annoyed, "I'm not a child, I don't need watching."

"You do, actually." Ree said bluntly, then she gentled her tone, "Like we said earlier, there're a lot of demons looking for you."

My face made it obvious I wasn't happy with the situation.

"I know, I know, but it's for your own safety."

I pressed my lips together, and nodded. I didn't like it, but I understood.

"Well, what are we gonna do, we gonna call someone up?" Liz asked, "'Hey! Sorry to bother you, but we need someone to babysit our angel! D'you think you can make it?'"

I glared at her.

"No, we're gonna call around, see who's free, and ask them to meet us down there." Ree explained, "Then one of us will go hunting, and the other'll stay at the motel with Abagail."

"Dibs on the hunt." Liz blurted. She noticed me glaring at her in the rear-view mirror, "No offense, but I'd rather kill something."

 

 

Ree must've called ten different people, but by the time Liz returned from paying for gas, she had a taker.

"Good news!" she said as Liz climbed into the car, "I got someone."

"Awesome." Liz tossed a bottle of water at me and handed another to Ree, "Who am I hunting with?"

"That's the bad news." Ree's bright tone flagged slightly, "The only team available was Jordan's."

"What!" Liz sounded mad, "He hates my guts! Wasn't anyone else-"

"I already said his team was the only one available." Ree said curtly, "And the only reason he's helping is I said you'd be staying behind."

" _What_! You mean I'm on babysitting duty?!"

Ree glared at her, and did a not-so-subtle head jerk in my direction. Liz glanced at me and looked contrite when she saw my glare.

"I mean- I didn't- I just was really looking forward to taking down some werewolves, y'know?"

I gave a noncommittal "mmm" and looked out the window. Liz seemed to take this as forgiveness, and moved on.

"Is his whole team making the drive?" she asked as she drove us away from the gas station.

"Most of them." Ree answered, "Drake's staying behind. Flu."

"Mm. Too bad. I know you guys get along."

"Yeah."


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, hey, hey.  
> Look who's finally updating! :D

_Fire_.

 

_It was_ _everywhere._

_All around me._

_Burning._

 

_Burning hot._

_All through me._

 

'What in Heaven's name was I thinking?' _I thought, screaming as the flames bit into my back, eating away at... something. It was blurred by smoke, distorted by the flames, and I couldn't seem to look directly at whatever it was, but it was clearly a part of me._

_I felt every tongue of fire, every time it licked me, the absolute pain._

 

_No, worse than just pain._

 

_Agony._

 

_I was in agony._

 

_An aching sense of hollowness consumed me as the fire finished off the last of whatever had been on my back, the ashes of it swirling away from me._

 

'Fallen.' _I thought, closing my eyes as the Earth neared._ 'I am Fallen.'

 

 

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

 

 

"Abagail!"

 

I sat bolt upright, chest heaving, eyes blown wide.

 

"Sh-sh-shhh, honey."

 

Oh, it was only Ree.

Her black eye from the night before had faded to a sickly yellow green, and the split in her lip was scabbed over. She didn't look great, but she did look better.

 

I relaxed, my eyes flickering to the window next to me.

Weak yellow sunlight peeked through the curtains, and splashed on the brown blanket that someone (most likely Ree) had used to cover me.

It was morning.

 

"You okay?"

 

I took a deep, calming breath.

 

 

"Yes."

 

"Bad dream?"

 

"I-" I paused, trying to recall the details of my dream, but they slipped away, like rain down a window pane. "I think so. I don't really remember it now, but it wasn't good."

 

"Can you remember anything?" she urged.

 

I shut my eyes, concentrating.

"There was... pain." I said, keeping my eyes closed, "So much pain. And fire. I was falling. And then I felt empty."

My eyes opened.

 

Ree had been staring at me, but the moment I looked at her, she fixed her gaze on the sunbeams that fell on my blanket.

There was a moment of silence.

Then I took a quick look around the room and, seeing that Liz wasn't there, asked, "Why does Liz hate angels?"

 

She brought her eyes to my face, searching it.

After a moment, she answered me. "Because they've disappointed her. Betrayed her. They've given her hope, then ripped it away." she said.

 

"Oh." I mumbled.

 

Another pause.

 

"Do you have any particular reason for asking?" she asked, too casually.

 

"No... just wondering." I said.

 

I don't think she believed me, but she let it go.

 

She stood up, went to the other bed, pulled a hairbrush out of a bag, and ran it through her hair, saying, "Liz is getting breakfast. When she gets back we're going to haul, so, you better get ready."

 

I rubbed my eyes, stretched my arms above my head, and rolled out from under the covers.

I noted that the alarm clock said it was 8:17.

 

"Haul?" I asked.

 

She glanced at me.

"Oh, uh, leave." she clarified.

 

"Oh."

 

"Your comb is on the bathroom counter, um don't worry about changing your clothes." she said as I walked past her and into the bathroom, "You just wore them last night, so they aren't dirty, you'll just want to straighten them out. Uh, until we can get you your own stuff, you'll have to use ours. That doesn't bug you, or anything, right? I mean, you don't mind using someone else's... I don't know, deodorant, or anything, right?"

 

"No, I don't mind." I said quietly, running the comb through my hair.

Then I processed what she said.

"Wait." I poked my head out of the bathroom, "Am I... staying with you?"

 

She turned to me, her arm held up in mid-brush.

"Well, that's been the plan. I mean, do you _want_ to leave?" she asked, looking as if the thought hadn't occurred to her.

 

"No." I quickly assured her.

 

"Oh."

 

"I don't think I have anywhere to go, even if I did want to."

 

"No family?"

 

"I don't think so, no."

 

"You don't _think_ so?"

 

"Well, since I can't remember anything before I woke up in the hospital, I can't be sure."

 

"Oh." she finally dragged the brush the rest of the way through her hair, a pensive look on her face.

 

I waited a moment, but she didn't seem inclined to continue speaking with me.

I returned to the bathroom, combing my hair, washing my face, and straightening my clothes.

 

I paused, remembering my injuries.

 

I rucked up the back of my shirt and camisole, straining to look at my reflection over my shoulder.

 

The burns hadn't vanished like Liz promised they would.

 

Instead, they had turned into scars, dark, and rough, and strangely feathery at the edges. Beautiful, in a horrible way.

 

My stomach turned as I took in the sight of my damaged back.

 

I forced my eyes away from the mirror, dropping my shirt back into place.

 

_It doesn't matter,_ I told myself, _The pain is gone, anyway. That's what's important._

 

I re-straightened my clothes, focusing on the song that was playing in the back of my head.

I couldn't remember the name of it, but it had been playing in the car yesterday.

 

A moment later, Liz walked into the room.

 

She clapped her hands loudly.

"Breakfast is in the car," she said, "Let's haul ass!"

 

I walked out of the bathroom, only to back up into it again to get out of the way as Ree carried two bags out into the hallway.

 

"Can I help?" I called to Liz, who was on the other side of the room.

 

"No." she said bluntly as she followed her sister, carrying the other two bags.

I looked around the room anyway and, seeing nothing to carry, followed them out, closing the door behind me.

I walked behind Liz, following her and Ree out to the car.

 

"I already paid." Liz said, "So we can just leave."

 

Ree opened the trunk, piled her bags inside, and went to the passengers seat to work at moving it forward.

Liz put her bags in the trunk as well, closing it with a slam before getting in the drivers seat to help her sister.

A few swears and slamming car doors later, we were on the road.

 

"Where are we going?" I asked around my breakfast sandwich, already bored with Kansan fields.

 

Ree glanced at Liz, expecting her to answer, but she just gripped the steering wheel tightly, fixing her eyes on the road.

 

The brunette sighed, and turned to meet my gaze.

 

"Texas." she said, "Felding, Texas. A tiny town just east of Dallas."

 

"Oh." I nodded, "Okay."

 

Liz let out an angry huff.

" _Liz_." Ree chided.

 

Liz grunted, and I could see in the rear view mirror that she was scowling at me.

I stared back at her, only blinking after she looked away.

 

I swallowed my mouthful of sausage, egg, and cheese, wrapped the sandwich up again, and put it down on the seat next to me, having suddenly lost my appetite, even though it tasted as amazing as the cheeseburger.

 

After that, the car was quiet.

Ree did start to ask Liz to put some music on, but Liz glared ferociously at her, and she shut up.

 

The only noise was the normal sounds of the road.

Fifteen minutes passed, then thirty, sixty, ninety.

Liz's glare softened after the first ten minutes, but I had the feeling that was out of necessity. Anger still rolled off of her in thick waves, almost tangible.

 

The air was so dense with tension, I felt suffocated. Deprived of oxygen by the pressure in the atmosphere.

 

Finally, I couldn't take it anymore.

 

 

*****

 

 

"Why are you angry with me?" Abagail's quiet voice asked.

 

I tensed, not wanting to answer the question.

How was I supposed to explain to her?

 

_'It's not your fault, and you don't deserve this because you weren't a part of it, or even remember it, but you used to be an angel, and since I hate your brothers and sisters for fucking with my life, I hate you too'?_

 

That isn't acceptable in my _head_ , let alone out _loud_.

 

"Liz," she said again, her voice slightly louder, "Why are you angry?"

 

I desperately glanced at Ree, but she was looking out her window, determined to make me explain myself.

I huffed, frustrated.

 

"It's not you, okay?" I snapped, sounding very much like it was her.

 

I took a deep breath, keeping my eyes on the road.

 

"Okay, that's a lie." I amended.

Ree whipped her head around, giving me a warning look.

"You just- you kind of remind me of some people." I continued, picking my words carefully, "People I trusted. People who ended up fucking my life up pretty badly. And the worst part was, they had no regrets. It was their plan the whole fucking time, and I was their naive little bitch who didn't see it coming until it was too late." I finished, bitterly.

 

The car was silent for a long time.

 

"Is that why you hate angels?"

 

I gripped the steering wheel so hard, my knuckles turned white.

It took me a minute, but I finally pulled myself together.

"Yes." I said, shortly and harshly.

 

I watched Abagail in the rear view mirror for a second, waiting for her reaction.

 

She just nodded, and looked out her window again.

 

I flickered my gaze between the road and my sister's face.

She nodded at me, and looked out her window too.

 

I relaxed against the seat, inhaling the scent of my baby, trying to force myself to calm down.

 

I hate my temper.

I was angry just to be angry.

And sometimes, like this time, I specifically avoid doing things that calm me down, just so I can stay angry.

 

Why do I do that?

It made me uncomfortable to think about myself for so long, so I dug around in my box of CD cases, finally pulling out one of my favorite Metallica albums.

I tossed it to Ree.

 

"Put that in, would ya?" I said, my eyes on the road again.

 

I could practically feel her roll her eyes, but she did as I asked.

 

_'Fight Fire With Fire'_ started playing, and I could feel myself letting go, pulling away from myself, if that makes any sense.

 

As soon as I climbed out of my head, the unwelcome emotions disappeared like mist.

 

My vision cleared, and I stopped thinking.

 

I lip-synched to the songs, only actually singing along to _'For Whom The Bell Tolls'_ and _'Fade To Black'_ , my favorites on the whole album. When the last note of _'The Call Of Ktulu'_ had faded, Abagail spoke again.

 

"How much longer until we get to F-felding?" she stumbled over the town's name.

I glanced at the clock. 10:47.

 

"It'll be about two o'clock when we get there." I told her.

 

"Three hours." she groaned, so quietly, I don't think I was supposed to hear.

 

I looked at Ree out of the corner of my eye, smirking when I saw her roll her eyes.

We drove for almost forty five hours straight one time, trading seats every two hours so we could each get sleep, taking bathroom breaks when the car needed fueled up, and only stopping for food and drink when it was absolutely necessary.

That was our haul from NYC to San Francisco, and I remember it too well.

 

But anyway, compared to that, three hours is a walk in the park.

 

 

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

 

 

"Hey," I shook my sister's shoulder, "Ree. _Ree._ Wake up, lazy ass. Pit stop."

 

She sleepily batted my hand away, grumbling as she rubbed her eyes and sat up straight, blinking blearily, gazing out the windshield. She screamed.

 

I roared with laughter as Abagail jerked awake as well, letting out a yelp when she saw what was in front of the car.

 

" _Fuck you_!" Ree shouted, smacking my shoulder repeatedly as I leaned away, still laughing, "Fuckity-fucking- _fuck_ you! Seriously, oh my _god_ , you fucking _SUCK_!"

 

"I warned you!" I yelled back through my laughter, "I told you last night there wouldn't be any sleeping in the car today. You fell asleep anyway, and now you've paid the price."

 

She covered her face with her hands.

 

" _Ohh_... my god." she moaned, "I _hate_ you. I hate you. IhateyouIhateyou _Ihateyou_."

 

Abagail wailed in a muffled, wordless way, apparently she had buried her face in the car's seat, hiding from the giant plastic clown face I'd parked us in front of.

 

It vaguely resembled Ronald McDonald.

That is, if Ronald McDonald had lost most of his hair. And grown a mustache. And had his makeup colored bone white and blood red.

It looked pedophilic, or maybe psychopathic. Probably both, but definitely murderous.

 

In all honesty, I was ready to salt and burn the thing if it so much as moved, and I'm not the one who's been afraid of clowns since I was six.

 

" _Move_. The fucking. _Car_." Ree said through gritted teeth.

 

" _Why?_ " I asked, still chuckling, "This is as good as any parking spot."

 

"Because if you don't _move_ the car," she growled, "I will not move _from_ the car."

 

" _Please_ move the car." Abagail pleaded from the back seat, her voice small and still muffled.

 

I waited a moment before complying.

 

"Okay, _fine_." I huffed, starting the car again.

 

I moved it to the side of the parking lot that was farthest from the clown, parked it, and got out.

Ree stiffly followed my lead, also getting out of the car. She didn't appear to be talking to me, and I smothered a grin.

 

When I finally got the seat moved forward (by myself, I might add. Ree was in no mood to help me), Abagail crawled out.

 

Ree stalked toward the gas station, and I started to follow her, but Abagail caught my arm.

I looked down at the short, blond girl, and she stared back at me, her brown eyes warm and sincere.

 

"Thank you." she said, and then she jogged to catch up with Ree.

 

"Yeah." I said, too late for her to even have a chance to hear me, "Sure thing."

 

 

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

 

 

The pit stop was short and uneventful, taking place in under ten minutes.

 

Ree and Abagail were hungry, so I ended up having to pay for a bag of gross-looking health chips, a package of M&Ms, and two bottles of water, in addition to my own bag of Skittles, Starbucks frappechino, and the Camaro's full tank of gas.

 

Five miles down the road, I sighed in mild irritation.

 

It turned out, Ree was right.

 

Skittles and vanilla frappechino are not a good flavor combination.

 

Also, cup holders are definitely a good idea.

I wedged the glass bottle between my thighs, and put the lid back on.

 

Ree gave a disgruntled huff when I stole her water bottle, but I ignored her, taking a quick mouthful to wash the offensive flavor off of my tongue.

 

As soon as my lips left the mouth of the bottle, Ree stole it back.

 

I rolled my eyes at the protective way she guarded her water, but moved on.

 

"So, tell me again why we have to go to Middle-Of-Nowhere, Texas?" I griped.

 

"For the _third_ time," she grumbled back, "There were five weird murders in the space of two months, and _absolutely_ no evidence. And, considering the way they were murdered, the only way for there to be no evidence, would be if the culprit was something supernatural."

 

"Aren't there other hunters in Texas?" I whined, "Ones who're closer than we are?"

 

"There _were_." she bit out, "They were the three most recent victims."

 

Abagail choked on her water.

 

I shut up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not very happy with this chapter, but I'm not sure if that's because it sucks, or because I've been staring at it for too long.
> 
> Please, let me know what you think!


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took extra long, I had writer's block, and then I was sick, and then I was busy, and then I had writer's block again.
> 
> But I finally got it written :D!
> 
> Enjoy <3

It was 2:30 by the time I finally drove past the 'Welcome to Felding' sign, and I can't even begin to say how relieved I was to see it.

 

Ree had confiscated my CDs (which I was not at all happy about), and had filled the consequential silence with the songs she had on her iPod.

 

I love my sister, I really do, but I _don't_ love her taste in music.

 

I mean, yeah, sure, it's awesome she's got a playlist she can relate to, and connect to, and enjoy, and whatever.

 

And, yeah, the ace/aro music she listens to isn't _bad_ , for the most part.

 

But, _dear god,_ I can only take so much of it.

 

I was ready to throw the goddamned piece of plastic out the window, but then Ree saw we were pulling into town and she shut it off.

 

Praise the _fucking_ lord.

 

"So, what d'you think?" I asked as I drove us past a Casey's, "Mapleview B&B, or The Bluebird Motel?"

 

"B&B's annoy me." Ree stated.

 

Well, okay then. The Bluebird it is.

 

"Have you... been here before?" Abagail asked, startling me. She's so quiet, I'd forgotten she was there.

 

I recovered quickly, and said, "Nah. We never hunt in a town twice."

 

"And by _'never'_ she means we did once, and it made things a hell of a lot harder." Ree inserted, "Too many people recognized us from last time, and the police weren't too happy either.

 

"Oh." Abagail nodded and looked out the window as I pulled into the Bluebird parking lot.

 

I put my baby in park, and turned her off.

 

I gazed at the motel for a moment as Ree helped Abagail outta the Camaro.

 

The two story building was painted a charming light blue, and you could see soft yellow curtains through the windows. I could see where they got the name from, the building did have an overall impression of a bluebird.

 

"Liz." Ree called, "Are you gonna make us carry everything?"

 

"That was the plan." I teased, getting out of the car.

 

Ree had already gotten our bags out of the trunk, and had saddled herself with the lightest two.

 

"Don't strain yourself." I said dryly.

 

"Wouldn't dream of it." She said back.

 

A grunt of effort caught our attention, and we exchanged looks as Abagail determinedly attempted to lug the weapons bag to the door.

 

I took pity on her, and gave her a hand in carrying it.

 

The damned thing must weigh forty pounds. It's about thirty five pounds too heavy for a tiny girl like Abagail to be lifting on her own. If she sticks around long enough, we'll have to train her. Toughen her up. 

 

Ree grabbed the last bag, locked my baby, and caught up with us.

 

"I'm not a pack mule, Liz." she said, passing the third bag to me, "You can carry this."

 

I rolled my eyes, but pulled the bag strap onto my shoulder.

 

"Abagail, can you get the...?" I jerked my head toward the door.

 

"Oh. Yes." she pulled it open.

 

After a bit of maneuvering (which resulted in a smashed thumb for me), we finally emerged into the Bluebird's lobby.

 

I breathed in the familiar scent of cheap-but-clean motel, cigarette smoke and pine tree air freshener, and relaxed.

 

Only to tense right back up when a voice cut across the lobby.

 

"Liz? _Liz!_ Is that really you? _OH..._ mygod!"

 

I turned toward the voice, a fake smile stretching my face when I saw a short girl with long black hair and a nose ring waving energetically across the room.

 

Fuck it all.

 

"Is that-"

 

"Yep." I interrupted Ree, speaking through my teeth, my voice tight.

 

_"Shit."_ she swore under her breath, and hurried up to reception, avoiding the inevitable hurricane of words.

 

I halfheartedly waved back, "Hey, Jane." I called to her.

 

She abandoned the man she'd been chatting with, running across the room to tackle me in a hug. I stumbled back, accidentally dropping the weapons bag on Abagail's foot when my arms flailed to catch my balance. I awkwardly patted Jane's back until she let me go.

 

_"OH..._ mygod." she said loudly, "I haven't seen you in _SO_ long! It's been, what, _a_ _year_ since our hook-up? I kept expecting you to call, Liz. I gave you my number for a _reason,_ you know. You could've _used_ it."

 

I mumbled something that sounded like an apology, picking up my side of the weapons bag again.

 

She laughed, "Oh, that's okay. It's a good thing you didn't think to in the last two months. I _met_ someone."

 

She waited for someone to prompt her, but when no one did, she started up about the woman she'd met last November anyways, and how _perfect_ she was, her name was _Alyssa,_ and Jane was pretty sure she was _"the one",_ and their sex life was _even better_ than our fling in July, and she wouldn't shut up, or even lower her voice, and I was so uncomfortable I could actually _feel_ my cheeks turning pink.

 

I snuck a look at Abagail, and was surprised by her look of detached fascination as she watched Jane talk. As if she was a scientist and Jane was a particularly interesting fungus growth or something.

 

Ree came back and (praise be) interrupted Jane in the middle of her in-depth description of whatever kinky shit she got up to with Alyssa last Tuesday.

 

"Got our room." Ree said, holding up the key and starting down a hallway.

 

"Great!" I exclaimed, nudging Abagail to follow my sister, "We're gonna turn in," I said to Jane, "We've been on the road all day, and we need a rest. Good night."

 

"It's only three o'clock, but okay! See ya later!" she said brightly, practically skipping back to the man she'd been talking to when we came in.

 

I sighed in relief as we made our way down the hall.

 

When we were out of earshot, Ree started laughing.

 

"Who was that woman?" Abagail quietly asked me.

 

_"That,"_ I said, shooting a glare at Ree, self-conciously running my free hand through my short hair, and avoiding her real question, "Was Jane Arrow."

 

"How do you know her?" she clarified in the way I'd half-hoped she wouldn't.

 

"We hooked up once, in a town about 20 miles east of here." I muttered, "She thought we had something, I knew we didn't, she insisted on giving me her number despite my insistence I'd never use it."

 

We turned the corner and walked on in silence, Ree trying (and failing) to muffle her chuckling.

 

She stopped in front of room 15 and worked at unlocking the door. The lock seemed like it was stuck.

 

"She's very loud." Abagail said abruptly, "And... long winded. 

 

I chuckled.

 

"Yeah, well, she was a quiet drunk." I said.

 

_"HA!"_ Ree exclaimed, finally turning the key.

 

Our room was small, but not cramped.

 

Ree would describe it as _'cozy'._

 

The wallpaper was blandly floral, the carpet was navy blue. The window was hung with the same light yellow curtains that I'd seen from the parking lot, and the air conditioner was at least five years old. The furniture consisted of two beds with an end table between them, and a fairly cheap, tan couch against the opposite wall.

 

I staggered over to the closest bed and heaved the bags on to it.

 

Abagail let out a breath, relieved, I guess, that the weight of the weapons was gone.

 

I heard the click of the door latch, Ree had closed the door behind her.

 

She shoved me out of the way and set her bags down as well.

 

I collapsed dramatically on to the couch.

 

"It feels so good to finally _relax."_ I groaned through a stretch.

 

Abagail made a sound of agreement from the bed closest to the window.

 

I heard Ree's assent from the bathroom.

 

"How's it look in there?" I called to her.

 

"Good." she said, walking back into the room, "Clean. There're towels and everything."

 

"Awesome."

 

She flopped next to Abagail on the bed.

 

We laid there in silence for a while.

 

Eventually, I realized Ree and Abagail's breathing had slowed and evened, and, sure enough, when I lifted my head to look at them, they were sound asleep.

 

I sat up and rubbed my eyes.

 

I couldn't fall asleep. Not yet. There was shit to be done.

 

Ten minutes later, the room was protected and secured to my satisfaction, and I was no longer tired.

 

_Damn it,_ I was looking forward to a nap.

 

Instead of pouting, I decided to be productive, so I dug out my laptop, settled into the couch, and started researching the mysterious deaths that had caught Ree's eye.

 

It didn't take long to find exactly what Ree had been talking about.

 

"What are you doing?"

 

My eyes flickered to the bed.

 

Abagail was sitting up and stretching, her soft brown eyes on me.

 

"Checking out the town." I said, a little abruptly, "Seeing what Ree was talking about."

 

I returned my gaze to the screen, "She was right. We definitely have a case."

 

She got off of the bed, moving to sit next to me on the couch.

 

"We do?"

 

"Yeah," I said, clicking to the first tab, "Looks like a werewolf pack. Since the murder dates don't seem to care about the moon, it's probably a few young and stupid Purebloods."

 

She pointed to the page, "Is she a werewolf?" she asked.

 

I blinked at her lack of reaction, but answered with, "No, she's one of the victims."

 

"Amanda Burns," I continued, "She was the first victim, actually. Twenty three year old Caucasian college student, majoring in Art History, living in a pretty good neighborhood with her best friend. One day, she walked to the park, which is about fifteen minutes from her house, and she never came home. Four days after she went missing, the police found her remains by a stream, in the middle of the woods. Her corpse was-"

 

I broke off.

 

She looked at me, in a sort of patient way, waiting for me to continue.

 

"You're...uh..." I stuttered, really not sure of how to word it.

 

Fuck it.

 

"You're not, like, sensitive to blood, right?" I blurted, "Or mutilated bodies? You're cool with seeing ...uh, human remains desecrated beyond all recognition? Are you okay with seeing that, or hearing about it, or will it make you puke?"

 

She stared at me for a minute. Thinking it through.

 

"I'll be fine." she said at last.

 

"Okay then," I blew out a breath, clicking on the police report and scrolling through the autopsy pictures, "Her body was pretty much torn to shreds. The official report says her injuries were similar to those of people who were mauled by wolves, but, naturally, there aren't any wolves in Texas. The biggest natural predator we'd be dealing with is coyotes, who like their prey cute and fluffy." 

 

I watched Abagail's face out of the corner of my eye, judging her reaction to the gore.

 

She was remarkably calm, almost bored looking as she surveyed the carnage that made even my stomach turn slightly.

 

Of course, there's a huge difference between observing brutal murder aftermath three weeks after it happened, and seeing it in the flesh.

 

I clicked through each of the other victims' profiles and police reports, confirming that all of the victims were unconnected, and their bodies were left in basically the same condition: their faces were torn apart, they were disembowelled, and they were all missing their hearts.

 

"Now we know what we're dealing with, it'll be that much easier to gank'em." I said, leaning back against the couch and cracking my knuckles, "Ree'll be thrilled to know." 

 

I glanced at her sleeping form, all 6' 4" of her curled up in a tight ball, hands over her face, as if she was a cat.

 

"But I'm not gonna wake her up." I muttered, flicking my eyes back to the screen.

 

Abagail watched in silence as I shut my laptop down and set it aside.

 

I stood up, stretched slightly, and walked over to the window, twitching the curtains to the side and looking out.

 

I smirked at the beautiful view of the parking lot we had.

 

I turned my head slightly, and out of the corner of my eye I saw Abagail still watching me.

 

"Need something?" I asked, slightly too harsh.

 

There was a brief moment of hesitation, but then she said, "What did Ree mean, last night?"

 

I turned to face her, raising an eyebrow.

 

She looked slightly nervous, like she was almost expecting to be yelled at, but her voice was pure curiosity.

 

"She said something about my burns?" she prompted quietly, "And she mentioned angels?"

 

My heart stuttered.

 

"Uh..." _Fuck fuck fuck,_ we both thought she'd been asleep! "She said what?"

 

I averted my gaze to the floor, and then back out the window, ridiculously averse to lying directly to those big brown eyes.

 

"Liz," she murmured, her voice admonishing, "Please don't do that."

 

"Do what?" I asked the window.

 

I felt a hand brush my shoulder and I tensed at the unexpected contact. The hand faltered, and fell away.

 

"Pretend I imagined Ree saying 'you saw her burns, you know what they mean'." she said, leaning against the wall and putting herself in my line of sight, "Pretend I was dreaming when I heard her say 'we're not shoving an _angel_ off of a bed'."

 

Fuck, she really _did_ hear everything.

 

"Uh..." I stuttered, "I didn't _really_ want to push you on to the floor, you know."

 

Really?

_REALLY?_

Why the _fuck_ did I latch onto _that?_

 

She cocked her head again.

 

"I was tired and I was annoyed and I was pissed that you had taken my bed-" I babbled, uncomfortable because this was feeling disturbingly close to an apology, and she cut me off.

 

"I don't care about that." she said, not rudely, "If I did, I would've opened with it. What I care about is you and Ree kept something from me."

 

I opened my mouth to defend my sister, but she ignored me and continued, "I know you didn't lie. But you withheld information, _my own information,_ from me."

 

"We were waiting for the right time to tell you." I interrupted, "I mean, you're kinda new to being conscious, we thought we'd give you some time to settle in-"

 

"And then shatter my new world by informing me I'm not human?" she cut in, raising a single unimpressed eyebrow, "Wouldn't it be better to just keep me informed about myself?"

 

I opened my mouth. And shut it again.

 

"You and your sister seem share the idea that I'm delicate." she continued, "That I can't handle the thought of anything the least bit out of the ordinary."

 

She somehow managed to look a few inches taller than she really is, and looked me straight in the eye.

 

"Liz, I am not delicate. I'm new to this world, and I'm more of a liability than an asset, but I do _not_ need to be treated like an ignorant child. When we're on a hunt and information is uncovered, even if I never leave the motel room, I ask that you include me in the briefing. When _my personal information_ is uncovered, though, I _demand_ my inclusion. It doesn't matter what the circumstances are, or what the information is, if it involves my past I have the right to be the first person informed."

 

I blinked.

 

"I have no recollection of my past." she reminded me, "As far as I know, I have no family, no friends, no home, nothing. _Literally_ nothing, Liz. I'm trusting you to keep me informed. Should I?"

 

Abagail looks up at me, suddenly very small, her doe eyes watching hopefully, her teeth unconsciously worrying at her bottom lip.

 

"Yeah, you can trust me." I finally sighed, "Don't worry about it."

 

Her lips curled up slightly, and her eyes went soft and warm.

 

"Thank you." she breathed.

 

I smiled back at her, "No problem."

 

She excused herself to the bathroom, and the second the door shut, my smile died.

 

I flopped facedown on the couch, landing with a groan.

 

_I_ _promised her_   _I'm_   _trustworthy._

 

"What?" asked a voice from the bed.

 

I looked over and saw Ree was awake and sitting up.

 

She gazed at me with a mixture of amusement and annoyance.

 

"This isn't a problem." she added.

 

I groaned and rolled onto my back, pressing the heels of my hands into my eyes.

 

"How much did you hear?"

 

"I woke up when Abagail got off of the bed."

 

I groaned again.

 

"This isn't a problem." she repeated, "This isn't an issue. This is a basically defenseless girl trusting her bodyguards."

 

I grunted.

 

"This is good." she insisted.

 

"Okay," I said after a minute of thinking it over, "Okay, I guess you're right."

 

"Of course I am," she said contentedly.

 

I stuck my tongue out at her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you liked it ^-^.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh, hey! Another chapter!
> 
> I'd just like to warn, we watch Liz kill a couple werewolves here. I don't think it's very graphic, but I thought I'd let you know.

You sure this is the right place?" I whispered to Ree, shifting my weight slightly to give my knees a break.

 

"Of course I'm sure." she hissed back, "If I wasn't, we wouldn't be here. Just be patient."

 

"I know..."

 

I craned my neck, peering over the bushes, scanning the dilapidated barn for any signs of life. For the twentieth time in an hour, there was nothing.

 

Damn.

 

After another uneventful fifteen minutes (that Ree spent ignoring me and my impatient fidgeting), my attention drifted inward, and I lost myself in thought.

 

My mind drifted, and I found myself worrying about Abagail, who we'd left at the motel.

 

Without any defenses beyond, 'demon-trap-salt-lines-here-have-a-gun-point-shoot-and-don't-miss'.

 

Genius.

 

Oh god, what if we go back and find she's gone? What if something takes her because we were stupid and left her alone? What if she decides she needs to leave? What if she goes off on her own? I should've made Ree stay behind with her, it's not like I can't deal with a few mutts, and it's a lot more important that nothing gets to the angel.

 

Even if nothing supernatural decides to hunt her, there's nothing saying some human scum bag wouldn't try to pull something if she went out into the world.

 

Just the thought of a misogynistic fuckboy touching Abagail made me want to stab something.

 

"You don't think Abagail would leave the motel room at this time of night, do you?" I whispered to Ree.

 

She threw an incredulous look at me, making me immediately regret saying anything.

 

"No, Liz." she hissed, annoyed, "I really don't think the former angel is a complete and total moron."

 

"Right, sorry." I admitted, quiet for a moment before I started to say, "We should pro-" But then she cut me off.

 

"Oh my god," she said, exasperatedly, "I've already told you this, and I won't tell you again. Shut. Up. For god's sake, is this your first hunt?"

 

I shut up, embarrassed that it took my little sister scolding me for me to finally realize that I was behaving like a fucking amateur. I shook my head, dispelling my thoughts, focusing on the barn again.

 

Not even ten minutes later, there was movement.

 

As I watched, one of the barn doors opened a crack, just wide enough for someone to slip through, and one of the werewolves stuck his head out.

 

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Ree shift her weight, readying herself, waiting for my signal.

 

I held up my hand in preparation.

 

He took a quick glance around, determining whether or not it was safe, and even at a distance I could tell he was scenting the air.

 

Unfortunately for him and his pack, this isn't our first rodeo. Ree and I know perfectly well how strong werewolves' noses are, and we took precautions. Mud and herbs to mask our scent, and we're sitting downwind.

 

He decided it was safe, and shoved the door farther open, releasing the pack.

 

Three werewolves ran out of the barn, yipping and howling like... well, like wolves.

 

I motioned to Ree to go after a blonde female and a black haired male, and I crept in the other direction, going for the blond male who opened the door, and the short brunet who followed him.

 

I crept after them, silent in the shadows, careful to stay downwind.

 

The blond was considerably calmer than the brunet, who kept darting into the trees to chase a rabbit or a squirrel, and then back to the blond's side.

 

It took a while, but eventually the brunet went deep into the trees, near where I was stalking. I was able to dispatch him quickly, stabbing his heart with the silver knife and keeping one hand over his mouth so the sound of his dying wouldn't reach the blond's ears. He didn't even know I was there until it was too late, and I certainly didn't give him time to react.

 

I stealthily crept up behind the blond again and raised my knife, preparing to stab him from behind-

 

"I know you're there." he growled, and I faltered, lowering my knife for a second, "And I know what you did to Channing."

 

"Channing?" I asked, putting my knife back at the ready, "Oh, you mean the brown haired bitch I just stabbed?"

 

He snarled, whipping around and flying at me, his yellow eyes flashing in the moonlight.

 

He collided with me before I could react, knocking me to the ground and pinning me there. I brought my knee up, nailing him in the balls, and he yelped, flinching enough that I could get a hand free and punch him solidly in the nose. He fell off of me, whining in pain and scrambling to get on his feet. I rolled over, desperately searching the grass for my blade before he attacked again.

 

A silver glint two feet away caught my eye, and I scrambled to get to it, but the werewolf jumped on me before I grabbed it, claws tearing through my shirt, ripping through my skin. I screamed in pain, desperately blinking away the tears that rose, _dammit not now._

 

He almost me pinned again, his breath was hot on the back of my neck, his claws dug roughly into my sides, I lunged, grabbing the knife, blindly stabbing behind me.

 

A howl filled the air, and he released me in his pained recoil. I rolled over onto my back, and positioned the knife just in time for him impale himself on it in an attempt to rip my throat out. There was a ' _hoosh_ ' as the air rushed out of his lungs, he twitched, and then he slumped forward, finally dead.

 

I rolled him off of me, and laid there for a minute, breathing deeply, and calming myself by looking at the stars I could see through the trees.

 

 _I'm okay_ , I chanted to myself, _I'm okay_.

 

No matter how many times I do this, I'm never gonna get used to it.

 

It took me a minute, but I eventually calmed down enough to stand up. I pulled my knife out of his belly with a horrible squelch as it shifted his various internal organs. I wiped my blade clean on the hem of his shirt, and sheathed it again.

 

By the time I stood back up, Ree was standing next to me. I gave her a once over, but she was mostly in one piece. Her neck was decorated with angry red scratch marks, and her shirt was torn, revealing shallow scratches on her arm, but she'd live.

 

"Good god, Liz." she said, realizing just how bloody I was.

 

"It's not all mine." I dismissed.

 

"But enough of it is." she argued, turning me around and inspecting my back.

 

"Ree, please, I'm fine."

 

"You're letting me clean these up when we get back to the motel." she ordered, "Who knows what kind of infection you could get if these aren't treated."

 

"Fine." I sighed in defeat, shrugging out from under her careful hands, "C'mon, I'm hungry."

 

"Only you could be injured, soaked in someone else's blood, _and_ hungry at the same time."

 

"Call it a gift." I said, making my way out of the woods, "C'mon, I'll race ya to the car."

 

"No, you come on, Liz." she said, trailing behind me, "We're in our twenties. Aren't we a little old for footraces? And aren't you a little injured?"

 

I shot her an incredulous look over my shoulder, "What? Too old for footraces? What the fuck kind of world do you live in?"

 

She rolled her eyes, and didn't answer.

 

"Tell you what." I said, rolling my eyes back at her, "Last one to the car pays for sandwiches."

 

"Deal!" she yelled as she sprinted past me.

 

"CHEATER!" I shouted after her, laughing, and chasing her through the trees.

 

 

                                                                                                      *-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

 

Ree got to the car first, of course, being the dirty, rotten cheater she is, and we argued good-naturedly all the way to Jenny's Deli about head starts, handicaps, and who was actually slower.

 

It was nice to yell at each other over something as inconsequential as whether she or I would've done better running through a field compared to over woodland terrain.

 

It wasn't until we actually parked in front of Jenny's that we realized it was one o'clock in the morning, and Jenny's had long since closed.

 

"Oh, look at that, Liz." Ree said, mockingly, "The deli closed a whole five hours ago!"

 

"Yes, I gathered that, thank you." I bit back.

 

"Is there _anywhere_ that's open this late?"

 

"Ye-" I paused, rethinking.

 

"I... I'm actually not sure." I admitted.

 

Ree snorted, "Well, _that's_ helpful. What're we gonna do? Snap our fingers and wish for a tuna melt?"

 

"Of course not." I scoffed, putting the car back in drive, "We're gonna find an open grocery store, and we're gonna get food there."

 

"Oh, duh." she scoffed back, "Why didn't I think of that?"

 

"Because," I said, pulling onto the road, and pointing at myself, "I'm the smart one," I pointed at her, "and you're the geeky one."

 

She snorted again, "Yeah, that's how that works."

 

 "You bet your ass that's how it works, sister."

 

 

                                                                                                                       *-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

 

 

"Hold still."

 

" _Ree!_ "

 

"Hold still!"

 

"You know how fucking ticklish I am!"

 

"This is gonna take a lot longer if you don't _hold_ _still!_ "

 

We were parked in front of Gene's Grocery Store, a (you guessed it) grocery store that was open twenty four hours a day. I was opening my door when Ree insisted on patching me up now.

 

"You're covered in blood," was her argument, "If we walk in there with you looking like _that_ , our next meal will be served on a metal tray."

 

So that's how she convinced me to let her play doctor in the front seat of my car.

 

At the moment, she was dabbing and squeezing a hydrogen peroxide soaked rag over the wounds on my sides, and it was an uncomfortable mix of sensation, both burning and ticklish. I found myself trying not to laugh while peroxide violently sterilized the tears in my skin. After another minute, she moved on to my back.

 

I wasn't laughing now.

 

" _Fuck_ ing Jesus _Christ_!" I growled, keeping up a steady stream of blasphemy, "Motherfucking Mary _bitch_ ass dickface mother of god _holy_ mother of _shit_ -"

 

"Shut up." Ree chastised, getting out the bandages.

 

"Would you rather I cry?" I snapped.

 

"I'd rather you shut up." she pressed a fresh cloth to my skin, drying the moisture left behind by the peroxide, and told me to lean forward.

 

I did, and she started arranging, balancing, and rearranging gauze on my back. When she was satisfied with the placement, she started securing them in place with bandages.

 

"Are you almost done?" I growled, "I'm fucking starving."

 

"I'm aware." she murmured, fingers wrapping diligently.

 

She reached for the medical tape soon enough, and carefully taped the bandages together.

 

"Done." she announced, gathering her things.

 

"Finally." I said, pulling my shirt back on. Something soft and made out of dark green and blue plaid hit me in the face.

 

"Oh sure," I said sarcastically, pulling the cloth off of my face and shaking it into shape, "Throw things at the invalid... Hey- Is this my favorite shirt?"

 

"Mmhmm." Ree hummed absently, putting away her medical supplies.

 

"I've been looking for this for ages!" I said excitedly, throwing my ruined shirt into the backseat and pulling on the green plaid, "Where was it?"

 

"Under the seat."

 

"Why the f-" my eyes widened as I remembered what (or rather who) I was doing last time I wore this shirt, "Never mind. Come on."

 

 

                                                                                                                       *-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

 

 

"Bread." I tossed it in the cart.

 

"Mayo." Ree put a jar in.

 

"Potato chips!"

 

"Turkey."

 

"Peanut butter."

 

"Ew," Ree said, her nose wrinkling in disgust, "Not on my turkey sandwich, thank you."

 

"I didn't say it was going on your turkey sandwich. What kind of jelly?"

 

"Strawberry."

 

"I'm getting grape."

 

"That's not what I said."

 

"No, but it's what I said."

 

"Then why'd you ask me?"

 

"So you'd feel like you were included in making the important decisions." I said, putting a jar of grape jam in the cart.

 

"But I don't like grape."

 

"Dude, it's fucking jelly. And weren't you having a turkey sandwich?"

 

"Yeah..."

 

"Then why does my jelly affect you?"

 

"Whatever." she shook her head, wheeling the cart away from me. After a moment, I heard her yell at me from across the store, "Hey, Swiss or American?"

 

"What?" I yelled back.

 

"Cheese. Swiss cheese or American cheese?"

 

"Oh. Swiss."

 

"I'm getting American."

 

"I'm glad my opinion matters to you." I said, catching up to her.

 

"Oh, you know it."

 

"Frigid."

 

"Flip-flopper."

 

"Oh, Ree, I'm offended by such nasty name-calling." I said wryly, a sarcastic hand on my chest.

 

"Yeah, okay. Dijon or yellow?"

 

"Dijon."

 

"Amen to that." she set it in, "Hey, should we get something for Abagail?"

 

"Probably. What do you think?"

 

"I don't know. Basics?"

 

"Deal."

 

"I think we'll need more bread."

 

"I got two loaves."

 

"So you did." she agreed, peering into the cart, "That's probably good."

 

"Ooh, can we get Doritos?" I begged, already grabbing up a red bag.

 

"Toss'em in." she sighed, picking up a bag of trail mix.

 

"Yes!" I tossed it in the cart.

 

"The Cool Ranch ones, yeah?"

 

"Hell no, we're getting Nacho Cheese."

 

"But I don't like those." she looked up from a can of peanuts, pulling a puppy dog face on me.

 

"Then these are nacho chips."

 

I have never been bitch-faced so fast.

 

"Oh come on, that was brilliant."

 

"I can't believe you just did that." she said, shaking her head in disbelief.

 

"Shut up, I'm hilarious."

 

"I can _not_ believe you just said that." she started walking away from me, taking the cart with her, "I don't know you. I'm not with her!"

 

"Hey. _Hey!_ Don't walk away from me!"

 

"I'm sorry miss, have we met?"

 

"Wait up!" I ran after her.

 

 

                                                                                                                        *-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

 

I kicked the door, my arms too full to knock, and too impatient to wait for Ree to catch up.

 

There was a scuffling coming from inside the room, and the door swung open.

 

"Liz." Abagail said, breathless and relieved. She noticed the bags in my arms and stepped further into the room, out of the way.

 

I acknowledged her with a grunt, sidling in and dumping my load on the closest bed.

 

"What... is that?" she asked, peering over my shoulder.

 

"Supper." Ree answered, shutting the door behind herself and setting her bags next to mine.

 

"All of it?"

 

"Yep." I said, searching for my Doritos.

 

"It's three in the morning." she said, not even looking at the clock.

 

"It's a late supper," I said, finding my chips at last, "Or an early breakfast. Whatever you wanna call it. I'm not picky." I glanced over at her, making brief eye contact, "Are you gonna eat, or are you gonna keep belly aching over nothing?"

 

She blinked, and silently started going through the bags.

 

Ree had already broken into the paper plates and plastic cutlery, and was in the middle of making her turkey sandwich. I grabbed the necessary utensils and ingredients, and settled into making my PB&J.

 

"Ya doofunderftand yur gonna nee a ot mo calorysh den dat inerder tuh kepgooing, 'ight?" Ree asked around a mouthful of turkey.

 

I stopped making my sandwich for a minute to stare at her.

 

"Are you okay?" I deadpanned, "Are you speaking in tongues?"

 

She glared at me, swallowed her sandwich, and repeated herself, "You do understand you're gonna need a lot more calories than that in order to keep going, right?"

 

"Oh," I scoffed, continuing the creation of my sandwich, "Yes, _mom_. I know that."

 

She watched me, expectantly chewing another bite of her sandwich.

 

"I'll have a ham sandwich after this, alright?" I huffed.

 

She nodded, satisfied.

 

I rolled my eyes, and started eating my PB&J.

 

Before I had eaten even half of my sandwich, Abagail let out a frustrated sigh. Ree and I looked over at her, and dove to save the motel sheets from a healthy glob of mayo. It landed on Ree's plate, and I took the knife from Abagail.

 

"What, exactly, are you doing?" I asked, putting the knife safely in the mayo jar.

 

"Making myself a sandwich." she said, "Isn't that what I'm supposed to be doing?"

 

"You don't make a sandwich by dripping condiments on bedsheets." Ree said dryly, sitting up.

 

"It got a little out of hand." Abagail admitted, picking up a slice of bread and reaching for the mayo knife again.

 

"Nuh uh," I snatched the jar away, "You can't handle the condiments."

 

I took the bread from her, put it on her plate, and took the plate away too.

 

"I can so!" she exclaimed childishly, grabbing for the plate. Ree avoided the flying hands, retreating to her spot on the couch.

 

I dodged Abagail, "No, apparently you can't. Now quit whining and tell me what you want on your sandwich."

 

She scowled, and handed me the Swiss cheese and the ham, still protesting.

 

"I used to be an angel, Liz. Which means that I used to be a soldier, a warrior, a force of heavenly wrath that was not to be reckoned with. God knows how many demons I smote." she growled as I slapped her sandwich together,"I could be heaven's most dangerous, most valuable ally. And yet you won't let me make my own sandwich."

 

"Nope." I said as I handed it to her, smirking when I saw her sullen look.

 

She took the plate from me and retreated to the far side of the room, where she sat and sulkily ate her sandwich, muttering to herself. I couldn't quite hear her, but I caught "not a child", "angel of the lord", and "treat me like one".

 

I smirked at Ree and opened my mouth to call Abagail out, but my sister shook her head, violently, and signaled to me to keep my mouth shut.

 

I rolled my eyes, but did as she said, finishing my sandwich in silence.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed! <3

**Author's Note:**

> Is my writing as atrocious as I think it is? Please let me know. Constructive criticism only, please!


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